SPECIAL PARTY: Special Olympics of B.C. fronted its annualSports Celebrities Festival presented by Silver Wheaton. Always a holiday heart-warmer, the inspiring and interactive gala celebrates the power of sport and the human spirit.Funds raised help empower athletes with intellectual disabilities to gain confidence, acceptance and pride through sport. Several hundred supporters filed into the Hotel Vancouver for the 18th running. Keynote Frances Collison and the Vancouver Canuck Brandon Sutter wowed the crowd with their banter and message. Their words inspired attendees to empty their purses and wallets of more than $460,000 for the Canucks for Kids Fund and Special Olympics B.C.
PARTY DRESS: Help Change My City is a charity dedicated to providing empowerment to the homeless, at-risk youth, teen parents and youth out of foster care. The firm’s goal aims to provide guidance, care, support and mentorship to these individuals to be fully active participants of our community. To do so, the organization recently staged its Little Black Dress Gala at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Fronted by charity founder Alpha Kirabira and Christine Michelle, the event attracted nearly a thousand well dressed guests to the hotel ballrooms for the festive night of live music, fashion and fundraising.
CHANGE MAKER: Author and educator Joe Kelly created the Project Change Foundation after embarking on a yearlong challenge to discover what really mattered to him. It was not the years of trying to fill his life with consumerism and indulgence. A man of simple means, Kelly founded the charity with a simple mission: to help make the world a better place by supporting and empowering emerging change makers. Kelly along with good friend and fellow author Holman Wang fronted the firm’s sophomore soiree, a modest affair at a Vancouver Convention Centre ballroom. Close friends and supporters gathered to support the pair’s efforts, raising some $7,000 to support Backback Buddies, their charity of choice, helping feed hungry school kids.
BRIGHT LIGHTS: Every holiday season, St. Paul's Foundation invites the community to support St. Paul's Hospital’s greatest needs through their annual Lights of Hope campaign. Since 1998, St. Paul's Foundation has illuminated the streets with a breathtaking light display. Once again, the foundation hosted a kick-off reception of the multi-million dollar holiday campaign. Guests including longtime donors and sponsors gathered at the Wall Centre to witness the Burrard Street lighting of the spectacular display and to launch the Christmas effort hoping to top last year’s haul of $3.15 million.
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